Thursday, March 31, 2011

Garfunkel and Oats - a pair of hysterical, musical ladies. Flippant and vulgar in a similar vein to Sarah Silverman (but funnier IMHO). I guess they've been around for a while, but I just heard about them so I figure there's a chance some of you haven't yet.

I saw a commercial for this for the first time yesterday, and I want to know HOW and WHY I was not informed about this movie sooner. This looks so fuckin' badass, I can't explain how excited I am. Cate Blanchett ftw! Kickass girl assassin, eeee!!

Because ladies deserve dumb Judd Apatow movies, too. Judd's hit and far-miss with me, but I'm excited for this. Check out the trailers on the movie's site!

20% on Rotten Tomatoes, warnings from friends...the hate falls on deaf ears! I know what this movie is and I cannot wait to finally see it. My one quibble with the trailer is that even the darkest girl's fantasy would involve at least one frickin' pony.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Portland Opera put on another Comic Artist Night at the Opera event on Monday night, and I was lucky enough to be invited! :D Here are some illustrations I made, inspired by L'Heure Espagnole and L'Enfant et les Sortileges. These 2 plays were my favorite from the entire 2010/2011 season, so if you live in Portland, do yourself a favor and buy tickets to one of the performances this week! I'm going again on Tuesday night, they were so good.(L'Enfant et les Sortileges was about a bratty kid having a guilt nightmare. I loved the lament of the various animals he tormented at play! There was a really cool effect in the scene where actors pressed their faces and hands through fabric trees that I tried illustrating here.)

(L'Heure Espagnole was a bedroom comedy about a woman trying to have an affair and being endlessly frustrated by her male companionship options. I laughed so hard at the poet and muledriver suitors!)

Comic artists were treated to pizza, beer, and wine before the performances. I indulged, and my notes from the opera were, accordingly, remarkably unhelpful:Thank you SO MUCH to Julia Sheridan and everyone at the Portland Opera for the opportunity to see all of the amazing operas this year! I've had an amazing time and plan to attend the opera next year as well! :)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

I've been quiet here lately, but it's because I've been active at my drafting table. The 3 big projects continue, and a bunch of side projects are hitchhiking on my deadline train as well. I'm very happy to be helping out on a few cool causes, but I look forward to several of my responsibilities ending next month. ;)

I've decided that 2 is the optimum number of projects for me to do at once.

ECCC was wonderful this year! I had a great time last year and knew that I would repeat the show, but 2011 totally blew 2010 out of the water.

For starters, the show was expanded to 3 days. That was nice for us out-of-towners who spent half a day on either side of the show traveling. I liked having a little more con for my trouble. As an exhibitor, it meant more time to talk, draw, walk around myself, and sell, which was awesome. I couldn't believe how affordable my space was for how much I got out of the show this year. From talking to attendees, it seemed like the extra day allowed people to relax a bit more on the show floor and see more than just the things on their must-see lists.

ECCC is an extremely well-run con. People seemed happy, lines were manageable and placed well on the floor, volunteers were everywhere, and the con exclusives were gorgeous. I had full faith in Jim Demonakos and his crew to put on a good show, and they did not disappoint. It's just the right size for me, too; big publishers/media guests/top-notch artists are there, but it isn't the crazy, frustrating mess that SDCC and, to a lesser extend, NYCC are. The show is still a manageable size and price for start-ups like me.

I would also like to say that I really, really like downtown Seattle. I got up early on Friday to walk around for a few hours, get breakfast in a cafe, see some touristy things, etc. It was so nice having that 2:00 Friday start time to allow for some pre-con personal time. When we went out at night, we could find quiet restaurants and bars or packed parties depending on what we wanted. And the Sheraton was so dang close to the convention center! Best commute ever! I bought cheap food for breakfasts and lunches at Walgreens right down Pike St, and apparently there is a Utrecht within walking distance for con emergencies.

I was pretty frugal this trip (thank you to the companies that paid for my food and drinks! You are amazing!), but I splurged on a Claire Wendling book that I've had my eye on for a long time at Stuart Ng Books. Stuart's brother Steven commissioned this piece from me, and it was my favorite con sketch of the show.

My favorite moment of the show actually came in the last 5 minutes before I took a taxi to the train station. I had been trying all weekend to see Jasika Nicole and John Noble, but was foiled time and again. Jamie, who does not watch Fringe, saw them TWICE without trying! But when we left the convention center and rounded the corner to hail a taxi, there they were getting into a towncar!I knew what I had to do.

I walked up with my hand outstretched and introduced myself, pulled out the print I had made of John and Jasika's characters, and apologetically fangirled at them a bit. I hope that I didn't bother them too much--they were SO gracious and kind, and just made my day shaking my hand and talking to me (Jasika even hugged me and asked if I was Erika's friend! EEEEEE)--but I can't imagine how worn out they must have been after an entire weekend of fan interactions. In any case, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world! Emi, Cat, and Ron laughed at me when they occasionally looked over at me in the taxi and I had this vacant grin on my face. :) :) :)

Friday, March 4, 2011

9"x12" Ink - $409"x12" Ink and watercolor - $80*Please e-mail me before the show if you would like a commission. This way I can spend more time on it, reference it properly, and have it ready to pick up as early as the beginning of the con. It's less stressful for me and results in a better drawing and earlier pick-up for you!*